Zabriskie Quartzite
Cambrian Period geologic formation in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada
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The Zabriskie Quartzite is a Cambrian Period geologic formation of the northern Mojave Desert, in Inyo County, California and Nye County, Nevada. It is named for its occurrence at Zabriskie Point, located on the eastern slopes of Death Valley in Death Valley National Park.
- Resting Springs and Emigrant Pass Member
| Zabriskie Quartzite | |
|---|---|
| Stratigraphic range: [1] | |
Zabriskie Point in Death Valley, the locality after which the formation is named. | |
| Type | Geologic formation |
| Sub-units |
|
| Underlies | Carrara Formation |
| Overlies | Wood Canyon Formation |
| Thickness | 0–2,000 feet (0–610 m)[1] |
| Lithology | |
| Primary | Quartzite |
| Location | |
| Region | Inyo County, California, Nye County, Nevada |
| Country | United States |
| Type section | |
| Named for | Zabriskie Point |
Geology
The Zabriskie Quartzite, as its name suggests, is predominately composed of pink quartz arenite rocks, which are massive to cross-bedded in nature. It is known to cover an area of 36,000 km2 (14,000 sq mi) around the border between California and Nevada. It is overlain by the carbonate-siliciclastic Carrara Formation, whilst it is underlain by the sandstone Wood Canyon Formation.[2][3]
Palaeoenvironment
The environment of the Zabriskie Quartzite is interpreted to have been that of a tidally influenced nearshore, inferred from the varying symmetrical and combined-wavy ripple marks, mud cracks and raindrop impressions that cover exposed surfaces, alongside the presence of ichnotaxon, such as Skolithos and Monocraterion.[4][3]
Paleobiota
The Zabriskie Quartzite contains a wealth of ichnotaxon, such as classical Skolithos burrows, as well as discoidal macrofossils which are interpreted to be medusozoan in nature, as such representing the oldest known Phanerozoic medusozoans, but also the oldest known medusozoan stranding.[5][3]
Color key
|
Notes Uncertain or tentative taxa are in small text; |
Ichnogenera
| Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Skolithos[1][4] |
|
Burrows. |  |
| Arenicolites[5][3] |
|
Burrows. |  |
| Monocraterion[4][3] |
|
Burrows. | |
| Planolites[3] |
|
Burrows. | |
Undescribed
| Genus | Species | Notes | Images |
|---|---|---|---|
| Discoidal macrofossils[5] |
|
13 Large discoidal macrofossils, which are inferred to be medusozoan in origin. Attaining sizes between 3–21 cm (1.2–8.3 in) in diameter, these may represent the oldest known Phanerozoic medusozoans, as well as the oldest known medusozoan stranding. | |
